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Billy Packer gets a lot of shit for saying "should" so often. The tone of his voice doesn't help, I suppose, though I find his southeastern Pennsylvania textures strangely soothing. Nor does the sense he projects of always being right, even though we all know that he has frequently been wrong, as when he maligned George Mason and other mid-majors a few years back. That said, it seems to me that he is correct a lot more often than not. Yes, the Bruins should have found a way to get Kevin Love more touches. No, Darren Collison should not have been covering his fabulous freshman counterpart. I'm starting to wonder whether Ben Howland doesn't have one of those deficiencies that becomes apparent at a certain level, for his in-game adjustments tend to underwhelm. Oh, well. I never thought UCLA would win this one.
But the Tarheels, should they prevail in the second game, have a much better chance, since they can match Memphis's "length" on the perimeter, which has been hyped to death, but is no shorter for all the attention. Anyway, to return to my opening point, I'm lifting a can of Coca-Cola in your honor Billy, even if you were a self-absorbed jerk at Liberty High. It means something that I've heard you announce every NCAA Final since my first, save the one I had to listen to on Armed Forces Radio in Germany. There's something to be said for consistency and excellence, even when the combination seems overbearing. You should get way more props than you do.
